Heat treating apparatus for metal work



June 6, 1933. H. ROSENBERG HEAT TREATING.A?PARATUS FOR METAL WORK Filed Dec. 10, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l \llllll "s QLIIII s gwmmtov H EYMAN Rum BEE;

June 6, 1933. H. ROSENBERG HEAT TREATING APPARATUS FOR ME TAL WORK Filed Dec. 10, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwvawtoe HEYMAN RU S-ENBERB fia a June 6, 1933. H, ROSENBER 1,913,092

HEAT TREATING APPARATUS FOR METAL WORK Filed Dec. 10, 1931 4'Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. E1.

amnion HEYNAN R115 ENBERE H. ROSENBERG HEAT TREATING APPARATUS FOR METAL WORK Jung 6, 1933. 1,913,092

Filed Dec. 10, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 7 v? 33 y F1 5. 4.

I Bi HEYNAN RuamBg Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEYMAN ROSENBERG, or NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

HEAT TREATING APPARATUS FOR METAL WORK Applieationfiled December 1(), 1931. Serial No. 580,159.

or the like, and discharged at another point in a completed condition without any manual intervention.

1 A more detailed object is the rapid and effective handling of work in theheat treat- A still further and more detailed object is the saving of the expense of labor in the handling of, Work being treated.

With these and further objects in view as will in part hereinafter become apparent and in part be stated, the invention includes, in combination with a heating area, a movable support therein, work carriers detachably mounted on the support, and means for picking up the work carriers, moving them to a discharging position, and returning and releasing them in sustained engagement with the support. i The invention comprises certain other novel combinations, subcombinations, constructions, and arrangements of parts as will subsequently be specified and thereafter specifically pointedout in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of an ap- 40 paratus embodying the features of the pres ent invention,intermediate parts being broken away for the saving ofspace.

Figure 2 is a top planview thereof, the hood and ventilating parts being omitted, and the cover for the heating area being quench.

shown fragmentarily, the feeding chute being also shown fragmentarily.

Figure 3 is an outline, somewhat diagrammatic perspective view of operating parts, the framework, bearings and contiguous parts being omitted for clearness of disclosure, the parts being seen on a slightly enlarged scale.

Figure i is an, enlarged, vertical section through the feeding chute and cooperating parts. 7

Figures hand 6 are transverse, horizontal sections through one of the work carriers or baskets, a fragment of the operating lever therefor being seen in plan and being in the engaged position in Figure 5 and the dis engaged position in Figure 6.

As is made clear in various of my co-pending patent applications on and relating to heat treating apparatus and the art of heat treating metal articles, it is desirable under certain conditions to treat batches or groups of relatively small articles in baskets, earriers or containers so reticulated or otherwise rendered foraminous as to afford free access for molten liquid, or other heat treating means, and to discharge the batch into a quenching bath after thecyanide or other high temperature treatment, and, according to my various inventions, I have found an effective mode of handling such batches of work to consist in moving the work carrier through anarc from an upright position within the heating area to a discharging or substantially inverted position above the I have also found that there are certain special articles which, in order to receive the desired treatment and the required progressive hardening, should be held in an upright position within the high tempera ture treatment area and inverted when deposited into the quench. It should be understood, of course, that the quench is, in fact, a heat treatment, and the high temperature area another form of heat treatment,

the difference between the two being a difference in temperature and Jerhaps other conditions known to those familiar with case-hardening and like tempering metal articles whereby the desired hardening is effected.

It is the object of the present invention to take advantage of those features of invention disclosed in my co-pending appli cations and of my Patents No. 1,786,508, dated December 30, 1930; No. 1,806,503, dated May 19, 1931, and No. 1,834,872, dated December 1, 1931, including the treating of the work in a high temperature area within a basket and the discharging of the work into a quench by moving the basket to a substantially inverted position. It is at the same time a further object to utilize this mode of discharge to the quench while employing the step by step rotary work support or table of my co-pending application filed even date herewith and also of my copending application Serial No. 563,426, filed September 17, 1931. In the last-named copending application a rocking arm swings the work carrier or basket bodily while maintained in an upright position from the high temperature to the low temperature treatment, and a new carrier or basket is supplied to the step by step rotary supporting table at the place of the high tempera ture treatment for each basket delivered to the low temperature treatment. It is an object of the present invention to avoid this necessity by causing the same operating parts which move the basket to a discharging position to return the basket to the support to receive a fresh load of work and then to release the basket for permitting it to be advanced with the step by step rotary table.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a furnace of any appropriate type having an opening in its cover plate through which depends the pot 2 delineating the high temperature treatment area and adapted to contain the molten mass 3 of cyanide, lead, or other liquefied agent, according to the treatment to be afforded the work.

A work-supporting table 4 is arranged immediately above and located to overhang the pot 2, the table being sustained on a vertical, rotary shaft 5 journaled in and supported by an overhanging bracket (icarried by an appropriate standard 7 upstanding alongside the furnace 1. Fixed to the upper end of shaft 5 is an actuating gear 8 meshing with a gear 9 carried by a drive shaft 10. Drive shaft 10 is appropriately journaled above and carried by the stand ard 7, and bracket arm 6, and the shaft 10 is divided having a forward section carrying the gear 9 and a rear section extending past the standard 7. The sections of the shaft 10 are connected by an appropriate clutch 11 preferably adapted for hand operation to allow adjustments of the shaft 5 and table 4 independently of the driving mechanism for shaft 10.

The driving mechanism for shaft 10 preferably consists of a ratchet wheel 12 fixed to the shaft 10 and engaged by an actuating pawl 13. A pair of blocks 14 is arranged with one block at each side of ratchet wheel 12, and each block is pivoted to and adapted to swing or oscillate on shaft 10. A spring 15, carried by the blocks 14, stresses the pawl 13 against the ratchet 12, so that, when the blocks 14 are swung clockwise, as the parts are seen in Figure 1, the shaft 10 will be given one step of advance, and when the pawl 13 is given a return stroke by the swinging of the blocks 13 contraclockwise, as seen in Figure 1, the shaft 10 will be free to remain stationary, and may be held stationary by an appropriate brake mechanism, or otherwise as preferred. The details of the preferred'brake mechanism are shown and described in my co-pending application filed even date herewith, and include a braking drum 16 fixed to the rear end of shaft 10, and a brake 17 cooperating with the drum and carried by a reciprocating shaft 18 connected to a bell crank lever 19 which in turn is pivotaily connected to a reciprocating bar 20 having a finger engaging the cam groove of a cam wheel 21, the movements of the shaft 18 being timed by the cam 21 to cause the brake 17 to reach a braking engagement with drum 16 just as the pawl 13 is beginning its return stroke and to retain such braking engagement until the pawl 13 is ready to start on its advancing stroke. The cam 21 is driven by a power shaft 22 actuated by an electric motor, or other source of power 23, and the shaft 22 extends beyond cam disc 21 to gears 24 which actuate a stub shaft 25, which stub shaft carries a cam disc 26 having the cam groove 27. A finger 28 extends into the groove 27 from a sliding bar 29 which is appropriately guided in a bearing carried by standard 7, and which bar 29 at its upper end is pivotally connected to a link 30 whose upper end in turn is pivotally connected to the blocks 1.4 for reciprocating the same and thereby advancing shaft 10 with a step by step movement and proportionally similarly advancing the work-supporting table 4.

The table 4 preferably has its peripheral portions divided into a series of yoke-like brackets or supports, each made up of or having two arms 31 spaced apart and notched into the table sufficiently to accommodate between them a work-carrying basket 32, there being as many such supporting yokes 31 as can be provided within the complete circumference of the table 4, and a basket for each yoke. Each basket 32 is provided with diametrically opposed, outstanding trunnions or supporting bars 33,

andfthe arms of each yoke 31 are preferably slightly notched (see dotted lines in Figure 4) to accommodate the trunnions 33 for holding the same against lateral shifting of the respective basket 32. At thatside of thebasket facin away from the table and betweenthe e11 s of thearms 31 at the upperend of the basket, eachbasket is provided with a socket block 34, best seen in Figures and 6. The block34inl each instance is provided with a socket35 having lateral, underhanging passageways 36, 36,

andpreferably provided with a centrally located, outwardly facing camming projecmoms r. i i e 7 As willbe apparent from theforegoing,

thc table 4 advances with a; step by step movement, stopping between each successive step in a definite, predetermined position, so that the socket block 36 of eachbasket 32 j is located-at a predetermined point; and eX- ac'tly in linewith the socket of one of the socket blocks36 when so stopped is arranged aflplung'er 38 havingpivoted locking fingers 39, 39 pivoted at 40 to the plunger 38'and curvedto present curved end portions torthe curves of the camming projection 37, so that, when the plunger 38 is thrust longitu- (linally into the socket 35,the rounded portions of fingers 39, striking the curved walls of projection .37, will becaused to move on their pivot 40 to within the underhanging recesses 36, as clearly seen in Figure 5.

i VVhen' plunger 38 has reached this position,

is slidingly mounted in pendent, guiding brackets 41, 41, carried by a rocking arm 42 fixed to rock with a rock shaft 43. Shaft 43 is journaled inappropriate bearings 44 and fixedly carries a gear 45 which may be only a segment or mutilated, as desired,

, andwhich in turn meshes with an actuating rack 46. Rack 46 is slidingly mounted in ap propriate guideways 47, 47, and pivotally f engaged by a reciprocatingfbar 48 having a finger 49 extending into thecam groove 50 I jofa cam wheel 51, whereby rotation ofsaid wheel reciprocates the rack 46 and rocks I shaftf43. The cam wheel 51 may bedriven in any appropriatemanner, as by a shaft52 connected by gearing 53 to the shaft 22, or

. j other appropriate source of power. Gearing 54 delivers power from shaft 52 through. shaft 55 and gearing 56 to shaft 57. Shaft 57 carries and actuates a cam disc 58 having i a cam groove 59 into which extends the finger 60 of abar 61 which terminates in a sliding block62. Block62 rests upon and is appropriately guided by a part 63 of the framework of the apparatus. The block 62 is notched at 64, and an operating lever 65iextends into the notch when the rocking arm 42 is in its lowermost position or position nearest the furnace 1. Lever 65 is connected to cause reciprocating movement from bar 61 to be transferred to plunger 38 for insertingand withdrawing theplunger relative to socket 35 as required. A mode of connection of lever 63 is seen to consist of a pivot 66 connecting the upper end of the lever to the arm 42 and axpivot 67 connecting an intermediate portion of the-lever to theplunger 38 while the free, pendent end portion of the lever is adapted to move into and out of the notch 64 with the oscillation of arm 42. i e

Spaced from the furnace 1 at that side at which the rocking" arm .42 is located is a quenching bath tank 68inwhich is located,

preferably, an endless belt conveyor 69 of any-appropriate type, preferably of the chain and plate type, the belt being passed about a pulleyat or adjacent the bottom of the vat at that end nearer the furnace and about -a similar pulley at the opposite end 1 to restrictback-splashing from objectionably occurring. i

The entire area in which operations occur likely to occasion exhausting fumes is preferably effectively hooded or covered by an appropriate housing, such as a sheet metal casing 73, terminating in exhaust pipes 74 communicating through anexhaust fan 75 with theexterior or with any desired point of disposal of fumes. It is to be noted that the exhaustpipes 7 4 receive'the heated fumes from furnace l or pot 2 and also the cooler vapors or fumes from the quenching vat 68, and mingle them before their entry into the fan or blower 74, so that the blower is protected against injury from excessive heat by the drop in temperature of the fumes from above the furnace incidentto admixture with the cooler vapors.

The hood or housing 73 preferably termie fine the fumes from vat2 against exhaust into the atmosphere ad acent the apparatus a cover plate or cap 76 is preferablyda 'tachably fixed to the top of the furnace 1 to overhang the pot 2 and table 4 and to surround the lower part of the shaft 5 and its connections with the table. An appropriate collar 77 is preferably detachably fixed about the margins of the central opening of cap or cover 76 and depends to the table 4 oras nearly to contact with the table 4 as is practicable without friction. The inner face of the cap 76 is preferably lined with erosion-resisting material, such as asbestos, 78. It is, of course, not necessary to extend the cap or cover 76 within the hood 73, and when extended therein an appropriate opening is left providing ample clearance for movements of the baskets 32 out of and into engagement with their respective yokes 31 as the yokes come successively opposite the plunger 38.

while, of course, work may be fed manually to the baskets 32, it is desirable to feed the work thereto mechanically for the saving of time and labor, and to this end a chute 79 extends into the hood 73 and opens immediately above the open, upper end of the basket 32 which is in line with plunger 38. The chute 79 is located to sufficiently overhang parts of the basket to insure clearance and effective discharge of the work into the basket from the chute and to enable the desired proximity. The discharge end portion of the chute islocated sufficiently near the-basket 32 as to necessitate provision of notches 80, 80 in the chute to allow the re spective trunnion 33 to pass upward past the chute with the upward swinging of the basket 32 under the action of arm 42 and plunger 38. Itshould be understood that any appropriate work may be supplied through chute 79 to basket 32, one form of which is seen as parts or work articles 81, 81, which for most effective heat treatment for the purpose intended requires the larger end. to' be lowermost during the hightemperature heat treatment and the smaller end lowermost at the time of quenching. To ef fect automatic delivery of such articles to the successive baskets 32, a duct 82 communicates with the chute 79, and a detent or trip 83 is interposed in the path of movement of the reduced end of the articles 81- as they start to enter the chute 79. The articles 81 may be slid along duct 82 by any appropriate moving means as by a plunger 84 mechanically reciprocated by power and apparatus not illustrated. The discharge end 85 of a supply hopper, not illustrated, or any other appropriate source of supply for work articles communicates with the outer end portion of duct 82 from above. A. cut-off slide 86 is located to extend be-.

I neath and support the supply of articles 81 pushing the articles 81 one step forward and causing one of the articles to tripacross the detent 83 and slide with the large end downward down the chute 79 into basket 32.

The plunger 84 returns to a position out of:

line with the, superimposed articles 81, and the slide 86 is retracted until the next successive article drops .into the duct 82 into line with plunger 84, and then cut-off slide 86 moved back again beneath the next succeeding article 81 so as to support the column of such articles above, and then the apparatus is ready for the next similar cycle of operation.

t will be observed from the foregoing that the parts are geared together as described and as plainly seen in Figure 3, so that the step by step rotation of table 4 is synchronized with, the oscillations of the swinging arm 42, and both of these actions are synchronized with the action of the sliding block 62 in its operation of lever 65. With this in mind, the operation is comparatively simple but particularly effective, and consists, after the entire group of baskets 32 have been supplied with work articles, in the thrusting of the plunger 38 by the action of the block 62 on lever 65, so that the plunger 38 enters socket 35 and grips-the same by the out-thrusting of the pivoted fingers 39. As soon as this is accomplished, the rack 46 moved to swing arm 42 with its plunger 38 and the basket from the full line position of Figure 1 to the dotted line position thereof where the work is discharged into the quench. Then the basket is returned to its former position by the return stroke of the rack 46 under the action of cam 50, and then the cam 59 retracts the block 62, withdrawing the plunger 38 from its engagement with the socket 35, and thus leaving the basket 32 free to move with the next step of table 4. As soon as the basket 32 reachesa position with its trunnions 33 at rest in the notches of the yoke arms 31, the plunger 38 acts to discharge work into the basket, so that as soon as the plunger 38 is released, the table 4 may be free to take its next step with a new load of work in the recently emptied basket. All of the action thus described from the beginning of the thrust of plunger 38 into the socket 35 will have occurred while the pawl 13 is moving from its completely advanced stroke to and its operating parts are preparing for the next advance stroke. As soon as the operations just described have been completed, the pawl 13 will be ready for the next advance stroke and will move the ratchet wheel 12 through one step of operation which will advance table 4 just-one step and the table will be locked at the advanced place bythe action of the brake 17 ondrum 16. Then the same cycle of operation in the discharging and reloading of the newly located basket will be carried out and so on succeshas been shown in the accompanying drawings, it shouldbe understood that the containers or baskets 32 are adapted to receive and treat any articles small enough to be accommodated in the baskets, and are particularly Well adapted for case-hardening treatment of screws, bolts, nuts, pins, washers, discs, and other machine parts, buckles,

and any other metal articles not too large to be accommodated in the baskets 32., When small articles, such as screws, nails, and the like, are being treated, if fed to the baskets by the apparatus seen in Figure l, they may be arranged in batches kept individual or segregated as batches by wire mesh cylinders or other appropriate holders capable of use without interfering with the treatment of the containerarticles.

What is claimed is 1. In apparatus of the class described, the

. combination of a movable work support adapted to carry work containers, means for regularly moving the work support and means for moving the containers from the work support to a discharging position and back to the former position carried by the work support, said moving means being synchronized with the movements of the work support for moving work containers to and from said work support while the work support maintains its regular movement.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the discharge movement means for the containers is provided with means of detachable interlock with the containers pre venting lateral tilting movement of the containers during movement to and from the discharge position.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the movable work support is ro tatably mounted.

4;. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the movable work support is actuated by means imparting a step by step movement tothe work support and the discharge movement means effects the discharge and replacement of the work containers between the steps of movement of the movable support.

5. The combination as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the movable work support is actuated by means imparting a step by step movement to the work support and the discharge movement means effects the discharge wherein the discharge movement means is mounted to swing through an arc to and from the dischargin position.

7 In apparatus 0 the class described, the combination, with a work support, of a work containersustained thereby, a discharge arm for the container located adjacent thework support and pivotally mounted to oscillate to and from a discharge position and to and from a position sufficiently. contiguous to the wvork support to operatively engage containers sustalned by the work support, and a plunger slidingly carried by the arm and having means of detachable engagement with the work container. p

g 8. The combination as claimed in claim 7 wherein the Work support is provided with a socket having an undercut recess and the plunger is provided with an end portion adapted to enter the socket and a finger pivoted to the plunger and adapted to move into said undercut recess for detachably locking the work container to the plunger.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 7 with means for shifting the plunger to and from the work container engagingposition, the movement of the plunger shifting means being synchronized with the oscillations of the discharge arm to effect properly timed shifting of the plunger relative to oscillations of the discharge arm.

10. In apparatus of the class described, the combination, with a work support, of a work container detachably sustained thereby, a discharge arm located adjacent the work support and pivotedto oscillate to and from a discharging position and to and from a position sufiiciently contiguous to the work support to operatively engage containers sustained by the work support, and means carried by the arm for detachably engaging and sustaining the work container during movement of the arm.

11. The combination as claimed in claim 10 with means for advancing the work support with a step by step movement and means synchronizing the oscillations of the arm with the movements of the work sup port.

12. In appantus of the class described, the combination, with a cyanide pot and means for heating the same, of a table disposed substantially centrally above said pot, a bracket overhanging the pot, a shaft journaled in the bracket and engaging and sustaining the table pendent above the pot, means for rotating the shaft and table with a step by step movement, work containers detachably sustained by the table and pendent in the pot, a work shifter arm pivoted adjacent to the pot and adapted to swing successively into contact with the work containers, means for detachably connecting the workshilter arm to each of the work containers successively, and means for swinging the arm to endfroln position t0]: engaglng the work containers in timed relation to the movements of the table.

13. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein the Work support moving means advances the Work support progressively with a step-by-step movement and with intervals of inaction between the steps, and the containers moving means moves the Work containers to and from said. Work support during the successive periods of inaction of the Work support moving means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HEYMAN ROSENBERG. 

